Hmac
17 January 2016, 10:14
I just picked up a new PPS M2 yesterday morning from Dave Timm (http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum/member.php?16458-Dave-Timm). He ordered a couple, one for me and one for a friend late last week and they were both delivered in a couple of days. My buddy is a huge Glock fan, in fact this PPS M2 is his first non-Glock handgun in a decade. He had used a Glock 26, didn't like it because of bulk and grip, has been carrying a Glock 42, but didn't really like it enough to consider a Glock 43 now that they're available. He did like my PPS Classic, the way it shot, the way it felt. He opted to get the PPS M2 sight unseen based on my assurance that it was likely to be an improvement over the PPS Classic. He absolutely did not care for the paddle mag release on the PPS Classic - deal-breaker for him. Dave provided his usual meticulous customer service. I've known him for years. He is utterly reliable.
I've had a PPS Classic (BD) for a couple of years and it has about 1500 rounds through it I've shot it or my wife's PPS AK in defensive carry pistol courses. My wife has a PPS Classic (AK) - she made me get my own because she got tired of loaning me hers. I was OK with the trigger on the PPS Classic -- it was a little creepy, even after 1500 rounds, but I shot it well and it has been utterly reliable, shooting both ball and Hornady Critical Defense. I am a big fan of the PPS Classic. It's a great firearm for concealed carry for someone with my body (BMI 25, 32 inch waist) and my wife who is tall and slim (although if she carries, she generally carries in her purse). The PPS M2 version is identical in size to the PPS Classic.
The PPS M2 will be available in .40 cal later this year, I hear.
Walther will reportedly continue to offer the PPS Classic, at least for the forseeable future. Presumably that's for people who are wedded to the paddle release. No official word from Walther, but I would be astonished if they ever make the PPS M2 with a paddle release.
So, I picked up the PPS M2 from Dave at his shop yesterday morning and later went to the range - just got back. My observations:
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the PPS M2 fits my DeSantis Speed Scabbard perfectly. It does not fit my BladeTech OWB, nor does it fit my RCS kydex. The reason is that there is a slight inward bevel to the end of the slide on the PPS Classic whereas the forward-grooved end of the PPS M2 is squared. So, I heated the RCS holster a little toward the end with a heat gun, jammed the PPS M2 in there and put it in my kydex press while it cooled. Perfect! The M2 snaps into the modified RCS holster perfectly. Likewise, the magazines fit all my existing mag pouches.
Carrying....it is absolutely every bit as comfortable and concealable as the PPS Classic, even with the 7 round magazine in it.
Shooting one vs the other at the range...the M2 is noticeably more natural to grip and the grip texture is likewise noticeable. I have smallish hands -- I wear medium PIGs and a 7 1/2 surgical glove. The undercut trigger and the contouring are the big factors in the improved grip and handling. I am a huge fan of the way they implemented the button mag release. Very natural, easy to find and activate, zero tendency (for me) to release accidentally. I like it much better than the paddle release, despite the fact that I also own two PPQs and a VP9 and shoot them in Action Pistol.
Absolutely no cycling issues in the PPS M2 using some kind of 114gr ball, and about 3 magazines of Hornady critical defense.
Felt recoil -- I'm not recoil sensitive. I shoot the PPS Classic fast and accurately. Having said that, I think I can notice a difference in getting the PPS M2 back on target in rapid fire. That's subjective...I didn't put the timer on it to compare but I'm confident that it's better.
Magazines -- not interchangeable with the PPS Classic magazines. The standard version pistol comes with a 6 round (two-finger grip) and a 7 round magazine (three-finger grip). An 8 round mag is also available. I don't know if or when extra magazines are or will be available.
Magazine release - button only. Not ambidextrous. According to Walther, the magazine button can't be switched to the right side for left-handed shooters.
Backstrap -- the silly removable backstrap/disconnect from the PPS Classic is gone. Likewise, there are no interchangeable grip panels.
Sights -- standard 3-dot. The LE version of the PPS M2 comes with phosphoric sights. If I want night sights, I guess I'll pick some tritium sights for the thing. It uses the same sights at the P99/PPQ/PPS.
Trigger - I'm used to the smooth-but-a-little creepy trigger of my PPS Classic and shoot it well. The trigger of the PPS M2 is an improvement in break, but I do note that the take-up is longer. It is not, in any way comparable to the PPQ trigger. It's a little better than the PPS Classic, and much better than any S&W or Glock compact or sub-compact that I've ever shot. This is comparing My M2 with a couple of hundred rounds to my Classic with about 1500 rounds. I'd summarize by saying that the trigger of the PPS M2 is probably the best out-of-the-box trigger I've experienced on a non-pre-cocked striker-fired pistol.
All-in-all, the PPS M2, especially in the low-to-mid $400s, is a huge winner for Walther in the US CCW market. It is so vastly superior to the Glock 43 or Shield that it's hard for me to imagine anyone choosing one of those other two guns. I can't speak to the double-stack subcompacts like the G-26 or the P99c since I've never carried them much...only enough to know that those stubby little bastards simply don't work for me as well as a single stack.
http://ssequine.net/ppsm2s.jpg
I've had a PPS Classic (BD) for a couple of years and it has about 1500 rounds through it I've shot it or my wife's PPS AK in defensive carry pistol courses. My wife has a PPS Classic (AK) - she made me get my own because she got tired of loaning me hers. I was OK with the trigger on the PPS Classic -- it was a little creepy, even after 1500 rounds, but I shot it well and it has been utterly reliable, shooting both ball and Hornady Critical Defense. I am a big fan of the PPS Classic. It's a great firearm for concealed carry for someone with my body (BMI 25, 32 inch waist) and my wife who is tall and slim (although if she carries, she generally carries in her purse). The PPS M2 version is identical in size to the PPS Classic.
The PPS M2 will be available in .40 cal later this year, I hear.
Walther will reportedly continue to offer the PPS Classic, at least for the forseeable future. Presumably that's for people who are wedded to the paddle release. No official word from Walther, but I would be astonished if they ever make the PPS M2 with a paddle release.
So, I picked up the PPS M2 from Dave at his shop yesterday morning and later went to the range - just got back. My observations:
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the PPS M2 fits my DeSantis Speed Scabbard perfectly. It does not fit my BladeTech OWB, nor does it fit my RCS kydex. The reason is that there is a slight inward bevel to the end of the slide on the PPS Classic whereas the forward-grooved end of the PPS M2 is squared. So, I heated the RCS holster a little toward the end with a heat gun, jammed the PPS M2 in there and put it in my kydex press while it cooled. Perfect! The M2 snaps into the modified RCS holster perfectly. Likewise, the magazines fit all my existing mag pouches.
Carrying....it is absolutely every bit as comfortable and concealable as the PPS Classic, even with the 7 round magazine in it.
Shooting one vs the other at the range...the M2 is noticeably more natural to grip and the grip texture is likewise noticeable. I have smallish hands -- I wear medium PIGs and a 7 1/2 surgical glove. The undercut trigger and the contouring are the big factors in the improved grip and handling. I am a huge fan of the way they implemented the button mag release. Very natural, easy to find and activate, zero tendency (for me) to release accidentally. I like it much better than the paddle release, despite the fact that I also own two PPQs and a VP9 and shoot them in Action Pistol.
Absolutely no cycling issues in the PPS M2 using some kind of 114gr ball, and about 3 magazines of Hornady critical defense.
Felt recoil -- I'm not recoil sensitive. I shoot the PPS Classic fast and accurately. Having said that, I think I can notice a difference in getting the PPS M2 back on target in rapid fire. That's subjective...I didn't put the timer on it to compare but I'm confident that it's better.
Magazines -- not interchangeable with the PPS Classic magazines. The standard version pistol comes with a 6 round (two-finger grip) and a 7 round magazine (three-finger grip). An 8 round mag is also available. I don't know if or when extra magazines are or will be available.
Magazine release - button only. Not ambidextrous. According to Walther, the magazine button can't be switched to the right side for left-handed shooters.
Backstrap -- the silly removable backstrap/disconnect from the PPS Classic is gone. Likewise, there are no interchangeable grip panels.
Sights -- standard 3-dot. The LE version of the PPS M2 comes with phosphoric sights. If I want night sights, I guess I'll pick some tritium sights for the thing. It uses the same sights at the P99/PPQ/PPS.
Trigger - I'm used to the smooth-but-a-little creepy trigger of my PPS Classic and shoot it well. The trigger of the PPS M2 is an improvement in break, but I do note that the take-up is longer. It is not, in any way comparable to the PPQ trigger. It's a little better than the PPS Classic, and much better than any S&W or Glock compact or sub-compact that I've ever shot. This is comparing My M2 with a couple of hundred rounds to my Classic with about 1500 rounds. I'd summarize by saying that the trigger of the PPS M2 is probably the best out-of-the-box trigger I've experienced on a non-pre-cocked striker-fired pistol.
All-in-all, the PPS M2, especially in the low-to-mid $400s, is a huge winner for Walther in the US CCW market. It is so vastly superior to the Glock 43 or Shield that it's hard for me to imagine anyone choosing one of those other two guns. I can't speak to the double-stack subcompacts like the G-26 or the P99c since I've never carried them much...only enough to know that those stubby little bastards simply don't work for me as well as a single stack.
http://ssequine.net/ppsm2s.jpg